Passenger update -- 34 weeks

Seriously, I can't believe how quickly this is flying by.
Due date is in 6 weeks. Delivery at our hospital can happen safely in 2-3 weeks.
Within two months, Zachary Chad will be here.

For now, he's smashed all up in the womb, practicing his soccer kicks, running stretches, baseball pitches and possibly some basketball free-throws. Oh, and these things:

(From babycenter.com):
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.


(From whattoexpect.com):
What's new this week? Your baby is clocking in at five pounds and could be as tall as 20 inches by now, and the vernix (the white coating protecting your baby’s skin) is getting thicker. This week, a boy's testicles start making their way down from his abdomen to their final destination: his scrotum (look out below!). While about three to four percent of boys are born with undescended testicles, it's nothing to worry about — they usually head downtown before junior turns a year old. In other baby-related developments, those tiny fingernails have probably reached the tips of his fingers by now — and getting ready for that first postpartum manicure.


I can't wait to hold that cantaloupe's little fingertips in my hand.